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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — the month
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lean — thin
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. swing — music
  15. rest — a break
  16. march — music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — to play on
  21. march — the month
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com